Egypt Ranks 1st Globally in Date Production with 1.9 Million Tons Annually

Egypt holds the top global position in date production, reaching 1.87 million tons, which represents 19.33% of global production.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ranks second in production with 1.64 million tons, making up 17.01% of global production.

Algeria ranks third with 1.32 million tons, which accounts for 13.71% of global production.

According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the expected global date market size in 2025 is $16 billion, with projections to reach $18.76 billion by 2030, according to research from Mordor Intelligence.

Ezz El-Din Gad Allah, Director of the Central Laboratory for Research and Development of Date Palm Trees represented Minister of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Alaa Farouk at a press conference hosted by the Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman in Cairo. 

The event marked the launch of the International Date and Honey Exhibition in Muscat.

Gad Allah also presented Egypt's experience in the development of the date palm sector, noting that Egypt is one of the world's leading date producers, with an annual output of around 1.9 million tons, representing approximately 19% of global production and 24% of Arab production. 

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) data for 2023, Egypt has emerged as the leading country in date production within the Arab world, holding a 24.41% share of the region's total production. This highlights Egypt's dominant role in this sector, driven by favorable climatic conditions and an expansion in date palm cultivation. 

Saudi Arabia follows with a 21.48% share, and Algeria ranks third with 17.32%. 

These figures underline the significant importance of date cultivation in the Arab region, both in terms of domestic consumption and exports to global markets.

Egypt is also known for the diversity and high quality of its date varieties, making it one of the largest date producers globally. According to the latest statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), 2021 marked the highest production volume of dates at 1.85 million tons.

Geographically, Giza topped the list of date-producing governorates with a production of 262,100 tons, followed by Sharqia with 226,500 tons, Beheira with 206,000 tons, and New Valley with 180,000 tons.

The increase in annual production is attributed to the expansion of land areas planted with date palms, particularly in newly reclaimed lands. In 2022, Egypt cultivated 186,200 acres with date palms, reflecting significant growth compared to previous years. From 2017/2018 to 2022/2023, the total area planted with date palms increased by 64%, marking a notable development in the sector.

The cultivation of date palms is widespread across Egypt, with major producing regions including Aswan (which is one of the largest producers of dry dates), New Valley, Giza, Sharqia, and Beheira.

He also highlighted the variety of date types grown across the country, including wet varieties such as Hayani, Zaghloul, Samani, and Barhi, which constitute 50% of Egypt's date palms. Other varieties include semi-dry types like Siwi, Saidi, and Medjool (23%), which require drying before consumption, and dry types like Skouti (Abrami and Barakawi), which make up 5%. Additionally, seed varieties account for 22% of the total date palm population in Egypt.

Despite leading the world in date production, Gad Allah noted that Egypt's export rate does not match its production capacity, with only about 2.7% of the total production being exported, representing 4% of global date trade. This is partly due to the prevalence of local wet varieties, which are unsuitable for export and are often lost in local markets.

He explained that Egypt is working to enhance its export capabilities by increasing the cultivation of high-quality export varieties, applying tissue culture protocols, and adopting modern agricultural techniques. Tissue culture offers promising advantages in producing large quantities of uniform, disease-free plants of premium varieties that have high market value. This will encourage the growth of date-based industries, particularly in newly reclaimed lands and desert areas, which make up 96% of Egypt's total agricultural area.

Gad Allah also mentioned that Egypt is developing the largest date palm farm in Toshka, Aswan, spanning 38,000 feddans, in line with presidential directives. This farm has made it into the Guinness World Records as the largest date palm farm globally. The farm will be home to 2.5 million date palms, all of which are high-yield varieties such as Medjool, Barhi, Khalas, Sukari, and Saqei. Current statistics show a significant and ongoing increase in the total number of date palms, with 3.6 million palms, including fruitful ones.

MENA